The estranged wife of a popular former stuntman has pleaded guilty to four counts of assault against her wheelchair-bound husband.

Samantha Kidd, 44, from Bear Road in Seaford entered a guilty plea at Brighton Magistrates Court relating to incidents of assault by beating the now-paralysed Eddie Kidd.

The four counts took place between July 20, 2012, and October 8 of the same year, and she will be sentenced by a district judge at Brighton Magistrates Court at 9am on August 1.

Mrs Kidd was released on conditional bail by head of magistrates Martin Reed on the condition she made no contact with Mr Kidd or visits his address in Peacehaven.

The court heard of one incident in Peacehaven which took place between July 8 and August 10, 2012, where Mrs Kidd slapped her husband in the face after his hand slipped off a handrail and made contact with her.

Suzanna Soros, prosecuting, told the court it was an act of retaliation after the disabled Mr Kidd lost his grip of a handrail and brushed his wife’s face.

During another incident in Peacehaven between July 20 and 23 last year, Mrs Kidd again admitted assault by beating, and the court heard how she called her husband a ‘f****** spastic’ as she assaulted him.

Alissa Scott-Beckett, defending Mrs Kidd, said it was a term the claimant used to describe himself and that she was merely repeating a term he used when referring to himself.

The defendant appeared in court charged with six counts of assault by beating, but |two alleged incidents in Cumbria and Peacehaven were dropped.

A district judge will hear all the evidence when Mrs Kidd appears in court at the beginning of August at the request of the defence.

Alissa Scott-Beckett claimed due to the likelihood of media attention given the status of the claimant, sentencing should be put back and a district judge should hear the case.

In his closing statement, Martin Reed said: “I must warn you that all sentencing options remain a possibility and a district judge may still consider sending you to prison. In the meantime, you are released on bail to return to court at the agreed date.”